‘So his torture starts all over again’: Man who stole phone 14 years ago being returned to prison without release date
The father, who was convicted of cell phone theft 14 years ago, is being sent back to prison with an indefinite prison sentence described as “psychological torture”.
Thomas White, 43, previously set himself on fire in despair after his mental health deteriorated due to the open-ended punishment condemned by the United Nations (UN).
Last October, his family won a six-year battle to have him transferred to a medium-security hospital for treatment. They have now learned that he will be returned to a category B prison “any day now” after just nine months of care.
His sister, the Reverend Clara White, fears his mental health will rapidly deteriorate if he is returned to prison without a release date, adding: “So his torture begins again.”
He was sentenced to a controversial Public Protection Prison (IPP) sentence for street mobile phone robbery in 2012. A judge told him he must serve at least two years in prison, but his family says he has now been in prison for 14 years and four months.
Open-ended penalties were abolished in 2012, but not retroactively; Thousands of people, including some for minor crimes, were left to languish in prisons for years without a release date, beyond their respective rates. Once released, many find themselves stuck in an indefinite recall loop for minor violations of strict license conditions.
White’s plight formed part of a major complaint to the UN, resulting in three special rapporteurs warning last week that Britain was committing “serious human rights violations” by failing to resent the nearly 2,400 people still in prison.
A further 207 people are serving their sentences in a secure hospital, often after their mental health deteriorated in prison, and 96 people took their own lives in custody.
In its strongly worded intervention, the UN said prison sentences trap prisoners in a cycle of “over-punishment, constant recall, deteriorating mental health and diminishing hope”.
“These sentences involve prolonged uncertainty and cause serious psychological impairment among prisoners, including an increased risk of self-harm and suicide. Such sentences may amount to psychological torture,” human rights experts added.
Pastor White had long campaigned for his brother to be transferred to the unit in Northumberland. Independent – After enduring repeated mental health crises in prison, including setting himself on fire and slamming his face into his cell floor.
After being told he would be returning to prison, he said: Independent: “It’s like he took a break and that’s it.”
He continued: “When Thomas is sent back he will deteriorate very quickly because he has not improved, maybe a little bit better.
“I don’t think nine months is enough for a man to figure out and start trusting and talking.
“So you punish a man because he doesn’t meet your timeline for how long he’ll be there. So his torture begins all over again.”
His transfer back to prison would be his 14th move in as many years, following repeated transfers to prisons across the country.
Doctors at the secure unit concluded White had a range of mental health problems.
But two medical reports in 2024 revealed the impact of devastating imprisonment in the IPP on mental health and warned that “prolonged imprisonment” created “insurmountable obstacles” to his recovery.
In an urgent appeal to Andy Burnham’s new government and new justice minister Alex Norris, Pastor White called on them to correct the “gross injustice”.
“The new government has an unprecedented opportunity to correct one of the greatest injustices that no other prime minister has been willing to address,” he added.
“I ask you to prioritize the IPP scandal, a wrong that contributed to the deaths of almost 100 IPP prisoners.
“My brother, Thomas White, spent the last nine months as a patient in a forensic psychiatric hospital after years of suffering caused by the torture of his IPP sentence.
“In the coming days, Thomas is expected to return to prison to bring an end, albeit briefly, to this inhumane system. Thomas has now served more than 14 years in prison under an IPP sentence, despite only receiving a two-year tariff.”
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “It is true that IPP sentences have been abolished and, as the IPP annual report shows, we have significantly improved support for these offenders.
“They are entitled to aftercare when they leave hospital and have greater access to rehabilitation and mental health support to help them cope with life outside hospital.
“We are committed to making further progress towards the safe and sustainable release of those in this sentence, but in no way to the detriment of public protection.”
